Everybody's got plans. Everybody thinks they know what will happen or when it will happen. Everybody figures on where they'll be when they get to certain points in life. But it doesn't work out like that. The only one who knows where you're going and how you are going to get there is God.
Life is kind of like a maze. Maybe one of those human mazes with the 10' walls you can't see over. I went to one of those mazes in Panama City one time, they had 4 checkpoints in the center of the maze and to complete it you had to get a stamp from the attendant at all 4 checkpoints. It's kind of like life that way. You start out with a plan...you think you know where to go and you're smart so you'll figure it out with relative ease and make it through just like you planned. But you run into a wall and have to turn around..then another...then another. God has a bird-eye view and knows exactly where you need to go. And once you hit that 4th or 5th wall you look up to him and say, 'I need your help'. Then he guides you to the first checkpoint.
Now you've gotten over that problem and your on to the next one. But instead of using God you go back into the same mindset as the first time. And maybe you find the second checkpoint all on your own. You feel some accomplishment...and you feel good about your achievement. Then you start towards the third checkpoint and your really confident and feeling good about life. You hit a wall, and another, and another. This time it's worse than at the beginning.
So you think back and reflect on what you did to get out of the first problem you had. So you get God's help. He tells you which way to go...you feel good because you're relying on Him to guide you though and it's all coming together. Then you get to the third checkpoint and you hand the attendant your card for the stamp. But she says this is the fourth checkpoint and you'll have to go back and find the third...it doesn't count if it's out of order. And now you feel down, how could God let me down? You see your friend who has finished the maze and they are receiving a prize for finishing first...but you know they took shortcuts and cheated. Why do good things happen to bad people? They didn't have faith in God, they went their own way and found happiness...I went God's way and found disappointment.
So you reach a point where everyone you arrived with is finishing and your still half way done, wandering around the maze. You're thinking it can't get much worse for you, maybe you should just take one of those exit doors and quit. What is the point? You had all these plans and expectations and nothing has worked out like you wanted it to. So you throw your hands up and figure they only way to get out of this mess without being a quitter is to just put some more faith in God and hope he doesn't steer to the wrong checkpoint again.
As your walking up to the third checkpoint you meet someone who has been in the maze for longer than you have. They were frustrated for a long time, and they realized they needed God to help them through each checkpoint. They are so excited about God's faithfulness to them that you are inspired to continue following God's instructions. As you approach the fourth checkpoint you reflect back on your life. It didn't turn out like you had planned, but you are content with your life because of the peace of mind you had between the third and fourth checkpoints when you cast your worries to God and relied on His leadership. You had the companionship of this friend from the third checkpoint who helped you through the struggles you had.
When you hand your card to the attendant at the fourth checkpoint they tell you that you're the 10,000th person to finish the maze and you've won a prize even greater than the person who won your group. After all of the frustrations and struggles, you actually ended up with the best prize. Looking back, you become aware of how God lead you to the wrong checkpoint so you would meet that great person, and get that great prize. Your plan was to finish first, God's plan was for you to finish the maze like He planned. And since He has a bird-eye view, he was willing to guide you through the whole thing.
It's okay to have goals and plans for your life. But to hold onto them with the death grip is the wrong idea. What you think is the right path might be different from God's path. I think I'll trust my life to the direction of the one who created me, and the earth I live on, and who gave me everything and everyone in my life.
JB
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